fourth of july: coconut chia pudding parfait

This past school year, the kiddos were really into cooking, prepping, baking, and eating. The last recipe we tried was making chia seed pudding. If you are not familiar with chia seeds as a thickener or over all super food, check out this article. It was ridiculously simple and two of the children gobbled it up before it could set. I still need to post photos from our recipe day but here is a super easy patriotic parfait you and your children can whip up in a flash. Set time is at least two hours but an overnight rest is even better. If you want the texture to be firmer, add more seeds. If you want it to be sweeter, add more honey or other liquid sweetener of your choice (maple syrup is a good substitute).

Here's what you need to make four small parfaits...small meaning an 8oz mason jar. I added a little half n half to give the pudding a richer flavor. You do not need to do this. Some people add coconut water as well, some add different juices or other milks. I went with straight up coconut milk (the refrigerated variety, not canned) and it's just dandy. Chia seeds are on trend right now so the cost is a bit inflated. Trader Joe's sells a nice smaller bag for around $4 (I think it is 8oz). When I made the pudding with the kiddos at school, I picked up a cup of seeds from the bulk bin at Whole Foods. If you have never tried chia seeds I would try to find them in bulk. If the pudding is something you do not cotton to, you can add the seeds to smoothies, oats, cookies, or salads.

Pour your coconut milk into a medium sized bowl (I used a 4 cup measuring cup) and add your half n half. Next dump your chia seeds into the milk and add your honey as well. Use a wooden spoon to mix it up and add your vanilla. I also added a dash of cinnamon...I was feeling whimsical. Mix it all up and pop it into your refrigerator. If you think of it, after an hour or so, pull out the mixture and give it another stir or two. The seeds tend to settle on the bottom.

The next day, once the pudding is set you can assemble your parfaits. Place a handful of blueberries in the bottom of the jar, spoon a quarter cup or so of the pudding on top of the berries, add sliced or chopped strawberries and top with granola. I have to admit, chia pudding is will not win any beauty contests. Admittedly it looks a it alien and goopy. The mister will not touch it. You may want to liken it to the consistency of tapioca but that isn't right. The chia seeds are not as firm as tapioca or boba if anything the texture is a bit like a cold malt-o-meal...sort of. If you find that your mixture is too goopy, add another tablespoon of chia seeds, stir and let set. This recipe is really loose and you can play with the ingredients to get the texture you like.

This tiny jar full of goodness is adorable and ready for the 4th! Tie with a length of variegated cotton yarn or twine and throw a happy shindig!

Really, look how cute that is! It's tasty too! I suppose you could try making this pudding with any type of milk beverage. Oooh, I wonder what it would taste like with horchata? Or what if you got all decadent and omitted the coconut milk and used straight up half n half? The possibilities are immense!

See? Easy peasy. Kiddos can easily measure, pour, dump, and stir it all up. This is not an exact recipe so there is a lot of wiggle room. Now getting the young ones to eat it up may be a different story. Happy July 4th!

diy rainbow cakes

 I really had meant to post this BEFORE St. Patrick's Day but there was a bit of a snafu that involved canceling our internet and a dead laptop. I'm back now and I really do believe that rainbows are cause for celebration year-round, don't you? So in a nutshell, I bring you an easy diy alternative to funfetti cake which is probably less easy than using a box of funfetti mix, but your kiddos will thank you when they get to mash the fruity pebbles with a rolling pin so why not?**

Ingredients:

*one box yellow cake mix or this recipe

*two cups fruity pebbles

*small zip-close bag

*rolling pin

*cupcake pan and liners

*heavy cream

*mixer

*spoon, etc.

Place one cup of fruity pebbles into you baggie, seal and hand your kiddo a rolling pin (we used a seasonal XTREME color box of cereal). Let them roll away to create fruity dust. Follow the recipe on the back of your cake mix box or use this recipe or other favorite plain cake recipe. Before adding your eggs, oil and the rest, dump your new fruity dust into the mix or dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Mix well with your remaining ingredients and pour into your prepared muffin pan. Children love placing liners into the cups so let them have a go at it. 

Bake according to your recipe and allow to cool. While cooling, whip a cup (or two) of heavy cream with one tablespoon of sugar until peaks form. Don't over-sweeten it. There is plenty of sweet both in the mix and the cereal topping you are going to add. 

Once cool, set up a decorating station and allow your kiddo(s) to add a dollop of cream to their cupcake then a smattering or more of the cereal to the top. 

 Take a zillion happy photos and enjoy with your favorite milk beverage!

**the pebbles crumb up easier than the loops, they also add a super nice crunch as a topping that is of all things actually quite delicate. They were a win all around save for the mister who thought adding faux fruity anything to cupcakes was a waste; but he's just a bit grumpy like that.

st. patrick's day: rainbow leprechaun bread

I first posted about fairy bread back in 2007 to celebrate Australia Day! I've brought it back for St. Patrick's Day because rainbow sprinkles are hard to resist. This time, instead of butter, I have use creme  fraiche with a pinch of powdered sugar and an experiment in green color and frosting flavor. I think I prefer it sans the color but you can mix it up a bit if you like. In honor of St. Patrick's Day I have dubbed it Leprechaun bread, check it out! 

Leprechaun Bread:

*super soft bread 

*creme fraiche (or softened butter or other butter-like spread)

*sprinkles

*knife for spreading

*cookie cutters

*food color or frosting color/flavoring

To make super yummy fairy bread or for now Leprechaun bread you begin with a piece of super soft sandwich bread. I used both potato bread and a soft multigrain roll I had camping out in the fridge. Like I wrote in my previous post I prefer squaw bread butfor some reason squaw bread is hard to come by and these rolls realy kinda taste just like it.  

 Dollop a spoonful of creme fraiche (or cream cheese or other spreadable bit of goodness) into a small bowl and add a smaller spoonful of powdered/confectioners sugar. Hand your kiddo the spoon andl et them mix it all up. Add a drop or two of food color if you like and get back to mixing. I had an envelope of frosting flavoring that I wanted to try but did not want to flavor the whole container of creme fraiche nor did I wish to dump the whole packet of flavoring into my dollop so I tried a pinch or two or three so the color and minty flavor barely came through. When you make your Leprechaun bread you can add more or less. My take is to add less as the sprinkles really do pack a punch.

Hand you kiddo a butter knife or plastic knife or a cheese spreader and let them cover their bread with the creme fraiche. 

Now it is time for sprinkles. Your kiddo can shake away from the container directly or you can pour the sprinkles into a small bowl and see if they can use their fingers to pinch (fine motor skills in action!) their sprinkles onto their bread.

Once sprinkled to their satisfaction, hand over a cookie cutter and let them cut out a happy shape. Metal cookie cutters work best for this but even then may not cut nice and crisp. 

To creat a peek-a-boo bit of Leprechaun bread, have your kiddo use their cookie cutter on a plain piece of bread that is then sandwiched on top of the sprinkled bread. Cut of the crusts if you must but the shape the cookie cutter makes may stretch and morph a bit. You may wish to cut crusts off right at the bat.

Try different sprinkles or larger sprinkles (like my bunny bread up there?). Add two colors of food color and try mixing colors. Oooh, flavor and color the creme fraiche with a bit of green fruit juice, experiment, have fun! 

**I picked up my creme fraiche from good old Trader Joe's. I really wanted to use clotted cream but my jar was a scary shade of fuzzy green and I couldn't find any locally to purchase (World Market was out). There are all sorts of recipes out their for creme fraiche. You could also try using greek yogurt as well.  Oh and I left out my creme fraiche to soften and it got a bit too liquidy so the pics are a little less cool than I wanted. Soften your spread a smidge so it will be easier for your kiddos to apply but not so soft it melts away. Enjoy! 

make a matzoh s'more

 Passover is approaching and my local grocery stores have their kosher products out in full force. Remembering the awesome Passover-safe camp out food we had with friends a few years ago, I picked up a box of salted matzoh to make this sweet treat.

Now, you know far better than I what foods are appropriate for your observances. Either way, whether you celebrate Passover or not, might I suggest a matzoh s'more? There is something quite delicious about the thin salty cracker mixed with the ooey-sweet of the marshmallow and chocolate. Our friends preferred a dark chocolate in their mix, their kiddos (and I) preferred a milk. Don't forget the salt, it brings out the flavors of the whole shebang.

If you have access to a fire-pit or campfire, whip out the roasting sticks and make them the old fashioned way. You can also use a s'mores kit, or if you are like me and a wee bit impatient, the good old stove top makes a nice replacement. If you are not partial to the toasty goodness of an almost burnt marshmallow, pop your layered treats in the microwave for a quick melt-down. Enjoy!

pot o' gold cookies

Complete with rainbow coating! Well...sort of. This kooky cookie is super easy to make and packs a punch. One cookie is super-sized so don't worry about making a huge batch. One for each kiddo should suffice especially if they each paint their own.

Ingredients

*shortbread cookie dough

*caramel filled candies such as rollos or kisses

*liquid food color

*clean paintbrushes

*parchment paper

*cookie sheet

Start with a batch of shortbread dough and a small bowl of unwrapped caramel filled candies. Shortbread dough has the texture of a play dough so it makes for easier handling. There are no eggs in the dough so it allows for the occasional nibble without worry of salmonella. It's a win-win kind of dough!

 

 

 

Have your kiddo flatten out a golf ball sized bit of dough with the palm of their hand. Add a candy to the center and gently wrap dough around the candy creating a kiss-shaped cookie. Set onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and continue until you have 8-10 cookies at the ready.

 

Fill a small paint palette with watered down liquid food color. Have your kiddos paint up their cookies with all the rainbow colors. 

Return them back to the cookie sheet. Lining your cookie sheet with parchment will keep your sheet sticky-free as the caramel candies have the tendency to ooze out of the dough. Pop the sheet into a preheated oven (375 f) and bake for 10-12 minutes. A little less if you want a less crumble cookie but not too much more otherwise the cookie tops will burn.

 

Allow to cool and enjoy with a cold cup of your favorite milk beverage. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day: Chocolate Dipped Peeps

I know, it's a bit late for St. Paddy's Day but ya never know...you may have all the goods on hand and some extra time as this is super easy and super quick and super-duper yummy! If not, save it for Easter...Peeps will be around for a while, no?

You will need:
*marshmallow peeps
*craft sticks, coffee stirrers, etc.
*chocolate chips
*glass measuring cup
*butter knife
*sprinkles
*egg carton
*wax paper
*spoons (optional)

scrumdilly-do it!

To set up, open up pack o' Peeps and jab 'em with a popsicle stick. Lay atop a sheet of wax paper and prep your egg carton by barely poking a pencil or other pointed object through the points. A one-dozen container will have five points which is perfect so you won't get too kooky dipping peeps. If you don't have sticks, no worries, make sure to keep out that sheet of wax paper.

Fill your one cup glass measure with chocolate chips and pop them into the microwave for about 30 seconds. Remove and stir, stir, stir. If chips need more melting pop 'em back in and heat some more. Make sure your glass container is completely dry before hand. Any water will make your chocolate seize and it will be no good for dipping. My chips meted after 60 seconds.

Bring melty chocolate to your work surface and have your kiddo(s) dip sticked peeps into the ooey-goodness. Position into the poked holes in your egg carton and sprinkle with jimmies or other decorating bits. Continue until each Peep is dipped. If you do not have a carton or sticks, lay Peeps atop wax paper after dipping. Put the whole mess into fridge to set.

After 15 minutes or so, the Peeps should be set enough for eatin', enjoy!

pixy stix straws & a holiday potion

there is something quite delightful about paper straws. i have a box of happy red & white straws somewhere in the many, many boxes that contain the everyday contraptions of the a-go-gos...somewhere. so, to get my paper straw fix, pounced on some extra pixy stix that i had floating about. and since i was going to be drinking through such happy straws i needed something perfectly perfect to drink.

a few weeks ago, a couple of friends and i were hanging out in a los angeles coffee shop that offers all sorts of goodness. it was a perfect meeting space as it offered caffeine for us ladies and a play area for the birdie. when birdie got a wee bit tired of the play area, Mama Za procured her a most delightfully wonderful concoction called a princess potion. complete with whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles and a pink frosted animal cookie, miss birdie was in princess potion heaven. i'm not sure how they make their potion but here is a scrumdillyumptious take using sweet yummy things from your kitchen. chances are you won't have to hit the grocery for anything.

*1 Tablespoon of jam
*1 cup of milk drink of your choice
*jar with lid
*whipped cream
*rainbow sprinkles
*3 pixy stix sans candy

scrumdilly-do it!

begin by liberating the sugar candy from the inside of the pixy stix. with a pair of scissors, snip off both end and give a little blow through the new straw to remove any sugar residue. set aside

pour your milk drink into the jar and add a dollop of jam. screw lid on tight and give the jar all sorts of shakes. if you use a plastic jar, you can pass this part onto your kidlets to do. the longer you shake, the more foamy your milk. plus, it helps mix in that sweet jam.

one cup of milk shaken up can make three small cups of potion. gather your glasses and fill with ice. pour potion into iced glasses leaving room for a dollop of whipped cream. lookie all that foamy goodness!

add whipped cream and a shake or two of rainbow sprinkles, plop pixy straws into the whole concoction and enjoy! a fruity sweet holiday potion that is sure to delight your kidlets.